Prompts:
Credible, adjective: believable, plausible, tenable, able to hold water, conceivable, likely, probable, possible, feasible, reasonable, with a ring of truth, persuasive.
Decrepit, adjective: feeble, infirm, weak, weakly, frail; disabled, incapacitated, crippled, doddering, tottering; old, elderly, aged, ancient, senile; informal past it, over the hill, no spring chicken; dilapidated, rickety, run-down, tumbledown, beat-up, ramshackle, derelict, ruined, in (a state of) disrepair, gone to rack and ruin; battered, decayed, crumbling, deteriorating.
Pensive, adjective: thoughtful, reflective, contemplative, musing, meditative, introspective, ruminative, absorbed, preoccupied, deep/lost in thought, in a brown study; brooding, wistful; formal cogitative.
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A long time ago a baby
was born she was named Henrietta, but was known as Etta. The baby flourished
and was well loved and spoiled mercilessly by her delighted parents. They
wanted another child, but after six years they gave up thinking of another child; so imagine their surprise when they found that they were to be parents again. A
small delicate little girl was born after nine months of pregnancy. The parents
were overjoyed, called her Violet for her purple coloured eyes. The parents gave little thought to Etta’s reaction to her sibling. Etta hated her new sister
Violet. She hated that her parents now fawned over another child instead of
paying attention to her. She hated that she was blamed if the baby cried, after
she pinched Violet. The baby grew and neared her first birthday, but still all
she did was crawl a little, gurgle and drooled all over. How could her parents
think this was a credible human being, let alone more important than Etta? Etta wondered.
Etta studying Violet
watched how she smiled at mother and father and she tried to emulate her; but
all they did was laugh at Etta and tell her not to act like a baby. Etta made
faces at the baby and called her names, but still Violet crawled after her.Always bugging Etta. Violet seemed to like Etta and was always happiest when she saw her sister but
Etta didn’t care. The only thing Etta cared about had been lost, her parents’
sole attention. Etta pinched Violet leaving a bruise and was spanked soundly by
her father. Then her parents sent her out of their hut to play. Etta became
pensive thinking about how much she had lost since Violet had been born. Etta
daydreamed that she had become decrepit and her parents didn’t care, they still
fawned over Violet. Violet’s needs, her wants, were all her parents cared
about. Etta decided she had to get rid of Violet then her parents would have to
love Etta again.
She went into the hut. When their
parents’ backs were turned she would take Violet and leave her in the woods to fend for
herself. Etta waited for her chance and when she found it she took it. She
picked up Violet ran into the woods and set the child down. She turned her back to go when she felt small
hands touch her as she rose up on her feet and walked for the first time and
said, “Love you, Etta.”
Etta’s heart melted.
She picked up her sister and carried her gently back to the hut.
“Where have you been
with your sister?” her mother yelled.
“We’ve been playing
together. Come Violet, you can play with my doll, Emma,” Etta said.
The mother smiled all
would be well now. They would have to pay more attention to Etta, but she had
accepted Violet into the family, after all she would now let Violet play with
her favorite doll.
Years later when the
parents were gone and after their husbands and children had died, Etta and
Violet lived together in their old age. Etta became ill and Violet nursed her
back to health. Violet became ill and Etta tried to reciprocate, but Violet
became worse and died. Etta died a few hours later; some say from a broken
heart for the person she had loved most in life had been her sister Violet.
©Sheilagh Lee March 5, 2014
